If you’re in the market for a golf launch monitor, or have already picked one up, congratulations. You’re on your way to some serious fun and potentially some big improvements in your game, if used correctly. But proceed with caution: you’ve suddenly got access to a ton of data that could leave you scratching your head rather than enjoying your new toy.
Never fear. Below is a breakdown of the main data points you’ll have access to depending on what golf launch monitor you’ve got. Let’s talk about what they mean as you set about using your monitor to improve your game.
Ball Data
First, understand that you can generally sort the information into ball data and club data. Depending on your golf launch monitor, you’ll have both, but watch those pesky subscription fees. In some cases you’ll have to subscribe to a plan to unlock all of these data points. But I digress. Here are the main points of ball data to know:
Ball Speed: The big one. Ball speed is a measurement of how fast the ball leaves the clubhead, and tells us how far the ball will go. You need to maximize the quality of your strike and clubhead speed to truly max this number out. PGA Tour averages for ball speed are above 170 mph and climbing.
Spin Rate: Spin rate measures how much the ball is spinning, expressed as revolutions per minute. Spin rate is a key measurement in fittings, where fitters can determine if you’re set up to optimize your ball flight and hold greens.
Spin Axis: Spin axis expresses the tilt of the ball’s spin. A zero spin axis means a straight shot, a negative axis means a draw or hook, and a positive spin axis means a fade or slice.
Launch Angle: The angle the ball leaves the clubface is known as launch angle. It’s another important fitting factor and is heavily influence by both dynamic loft and your angle of attack.
Club Data
Angle of Attack: One of the critical pieces of data to understand if you’re trying to work on your low point control and fat or thin shots. A negative number means you’re hitting down on the ball, which is desirable for irons and wedges. A positive number means you’re hitting up, which you want with a driver in your hand.
Club Path: Club path tells you the direction your club is moving at impact with respect to your target line. If you’re getting an in-to-out number, you’ll hit draws, while an out-to-in number will produce a fade. If you’re trying to rein in a ball flight that’s curving too much for your liking, your club path data is a great place to start.
Face Angle: Face angle measurements are usually only found in the more premium flagship-level golf launch monitors. If you can get this data point, you can use it in concert with your path numbers to really dial things in. An open or closed club face means your face is pointing to the right or left of your target, respectively (assuming you’re a right-handed golfer). Square? Your club face is pointed dead on line.
Clubhead Speed: This one’s pretty obvious. How fast is the club moving at impact? Clubhead speed will tell you. It’s the key component to getting more ball speed and more distance, IF you deliver a quality strike.
Dynamic Loft: Here’s a little secret: the loft stamped on your driver, or the loft of your irons, is NOT the loft of your club at impact. Chances are you either add or subtract loft at impact depending on how you deliver the club. Your golf launch monitor may be able to tell you the actual loft at impact, expressed as dynamic loft.
Efficiency: Trackman calls it Smash Factor, Foresight calls it “Efficiency.” Whichever term you and your golf launch monitor use, it’s an expression of ball speed divided by clubhead speed, and it tells you how efficient your contact is. The coveted number is 1.5 with your driver, with your irons you should typically be in the 1.3 to 1.35 range.
Distance: Your golf launch monitor should provide two distance numbers, carry and total. Carry measures how far your ball flies in the air, while total is the yardage after it has rolled out and come to rest. It’s important to understand the distinction. If your target is a front pin with a forced carry over a hazard, you’ll obviously need to know how far you carry the ball to know which club you need to avoid the trouble.
Golf Launch Monitor Paralysis by Analysis?
It’s a lot of information, huh? The risk is to get lost in the weeds here and start chasing numbers on a screen. Remember, it’s still golf. “What’s the ball doing?” is still THE question to ask, this information just helps you figure out why. Avoid Googling PGA Tour averages and losing your swing in the hunt for better numbers. Enjoy your golf launch monitor, but do it responsibly!